Chapter 27: Indifferent

In the dark hall, dim candles flickered silently, casting swaying shadows.

A man sat in the innermost seat, one hand propping up his cheek.

The firelight flickered, revealing only a pale chin.

A woman stood beside him, her posture straight as a pine.

Her face was hidden in shadow, only her eyes reflecting the flames.

A patch of shadow slid along the floor from afar, finally stopping at the foot of the steps like a pool of congealed ink.

That pool of shadow slowly rose, transforming from a plane into a solid form, eventually condensing into a thin human silhouette.

He knelt on one knee, his head bowed.

“Wang.”

His voice was hoarse.

The man seated above raised his eyes, his gaze indifferent.

“Has the Dragon’s Eye been recovered yet?”

“The Dragon’s Eye… has not been recovered yet.”

The man tapped his finger twice on the armrest.

The sound was soft, but in the silence, it was exceptionally clear.

“What about the men I sent?”

“They encountered an attack from the Academy Defense Department in East City. All… wiped out. The soldiers sent to pursue also lost contact. The last message reported sighting the target’s trail, and then there was no further word.”

The seated man—the leader of Dark Crow, whose codename was the King in chess—darkened.

“A few days ago, I led most of the cadres out, leaving the organization understaffed. I didn’t expect someone to take that opportunity to steal the Dragon’s Eye.”

The King’s voice was unhurried, but it carried a barely suppressed fury.

“That little thief has already sought refuge with the Academy. It’s no longer easy to take any action against him.”

He pondered for a moment, then said, “Spread the word: immediately cancel all current operations.”

“The Dragon’s Eye…”

Yinying, still kneeling, sounded confused.

“The Dragon’s Eye is a one-time consumable. Even if we retrieve it, what use would it be?”

The King explained calmly.

“What we need to do next is the real important matter.”

His gaze shifted to the flickering candle flame.

“The batch of new students at the Academy this year is quite impressive. I’ve heard there are even two S-rank freshmen. After a while, the Academy should begin practical training. We’ll take that opportunity to stir things up.”

Yinying raised his head slightly.

“That Anbian Du, who retired from the Border Guard Legion, doesn’t seem simple. He might be a mole planted by the Legion.”

The King did not respond immediately.

His finger tapped twice more on the armrest.

“Make more preparations. He won’t pose a threat.”

Then the King looked at the woman standing beside him.

“Liuya, what are your thoughts?”

The woman called Liuya lowered her eyes slightly.

“I want to lead this operation.”

The King nodded subtly.

“Driving away the Demon Beasts is indeed your area of expertise. But going alone… I’m not comfortable.”

He paused for a moment.

“Let two Chariots accompany you.”

Liuya bowed.

“Yes, Wang.”

***

At the Academy.

Su Li washed his face with cold water, which cleared his head a little.

He supported himself on the sink, staring at his tired reflection in the mirror.

Water droplets slid from his damp bangs.

Suddenly, he felt like he couldn’t see anything clearly.

How strange.

But when he was about to return to his seat, the gray-haired girl was already gone.

Only an empty cup remained at the seat, still with beads of water on its rim, and a sticky note quietly pressed on the table.

[I want to walk around the Academy alone. Don’t come looking for me. Thank you for today. See you later.]

Su Li read the handwriting over and over.

It was hers.

He knew what it meant.

But he couldn’t understand the gray-haired girl’s thoughts at all.

Why did she show such a soft expression in front of him?

Did she want to reconcile?

Yet in the end, she said nothing, not even a goodbye, and just wanted to leave.

He didn’t understand.

Couldn’t read her.

Couldn’t figure it out.

Su Li crumpled the sticky note into a ball and casually tossed it into the trash can.

He was starting to dislike You Xue.

He had never really felt that way before.

After all, they had lived together for so long—it was hard to feel such aversion.

Until You Xue left without a word, without saying anything, without explaining anything.

Su Li really hated this kind of vague communication, like looking through frosted glass, desperately trying to see clearly, but only catching a blur of the other’s brows and eyes.

That wasn’t how it used to be between them, not when they were childhood sweethearts.

They had always given each other genuine feelings—laughing when they should laugh, crying when they should cry, never feeling that one owed the other.

If someone made a mistake, they apologized.

They both knew the other wouldn’t hold a grudge.

But now it was different.

They had left that quiet village, and everything changed.

The distance in their lives grew, and the distance between their hearts stretched slowly.

Thus, he couldn’t see You Xue clearly anymore.

He had thought she was still the girl willing to run through the fields, chasing butterflies in the sunlight.

But the reality was that they couldn’t go back to that quiet, beautiful village, and it seemed they couldn’t return to their old relationship either.

It was like gazing at each other through falling snow—hazy, indistinct.

You Xue no longer smiled as she used to; her face was always expressionless, and he didn’t know what she was thinking.

So Su Li couldn’t even guess what was on her mind.

When had it all started to change?

Perhaps it began when they separated and couldn’t see each other often.

Slowly, a rift formed during those days.

By the time he realized it, everything was already beyond repair.

Forget it.

He sighed.

Forget it.

The right choice now was to leave immediately.

You Xue probably hadn’t gone far.

If he searched a little, maybe he could stop her, prevent her from wandering off.

Because it wasn’t safe outside.

Nothing outside was safe.

The village wasn’t safe.

The city wasn’t safe.

Only within the Academy could he feel a hint of order.

But Su Li didn’t move.

He thought that maybe You Xue didn’t want to be with him.

That ‘I want to see you’ was just a misunderstanding.

He didn’t have any real power.

He couldn’t protect anyone.

‘I’ll go back. Don’t wander. Wait until everything settles down.’

So he did nothing.

He just sat there in the seat at the milk tea shop, staring at his wrist—empty.

The bracelet youxue had given him was with him, but he wasn’t wearing it.

Because Su Li didn’t know what kind of feelings she had when she gave it to him.

Outside the window, the sky changed from bright to dark.

He watched the sunlight recede little by little from the table, like something slipping through his fingers.

Until the afternoon, when the Academy’s alert status was lifted, and a broadcast came through.

-The sudden Dark Crow attack on the Academy today has been contained. Most of the attacking Dark Crow members have been captured. The alert status is hereby lifted effective immediately.

-All students, please resume normal studies and activities. If you notice any abnormalities, report them to the Security Office immediately.

‘It should be fine.’ Su Li thought.